Southern Wisconsin Times

Honey bees are crucial for pollination and honey production. Selecting the right flowers can attract these insects to gardens, enhancing both bee health and honey quality. Blain’s Farm & Fleet provides insights into the top ten flowers preferred by honey bees.

Sunflowers are popular due to their large centers rich in pollen and nectar. "Sunflowers thrive in full sunlight and prefer well-drained, fertile soil," states Blain's Farm & Fleet. Honey from sunflower nectar is described as mild with a slightly earthy taste.

Goldenrods support bees during late summer when other blooms fade. They thrive in poor soils and are drought-tolerant once established. The resulting honey has a distinctive, slightly spicy flavor.

Cosmos flowers offer easily accessible nectar and pollen. These blooms require minimal maintenance, growing best in full sun with well-drained soil. Honey from cosmos is light with a mild sweetness.

Coriander plants provide nectar-rich resources for bees despite being primarily grown for seeds and leaves. Coriander thrives in warm climates with well-drained soil, producing uniquely flavored honey.

Mint plants produce tiny flower clusters that attract bees, growing quickly in moist, fertile soil under full or partial sunlight. Mint-derived honey has subtle herbal undertones.

Lavender's fragrant purple blooms offer abundant summer nectar. Lavender prefers dry conditions with sandy soil, yielding sweet floral aroma honey.

Coneflowers are low-maintenance perennials thriving in heat and drought conditions while providing vibrant flavorsome honey.

Bee balm attracts bees with its tubular blooms offering easy nectar access. It grows best in moist soil under full sun or partial shade, contributing citrusy hints to honey flavor profiles.

Black-eyed Susans attract various pollinators including bees; they thrive under sunny conditions producing subtly sweet golden-hued honeys complementing other floral flavors well.

Joe-Pye weed serves as a late-season food source before colder months arrive; it flourishes under moist rich soils yielding light floral tasting honeys favored by local beekeepers.

For year-round food availability for bees through overlapping bloom times without harming them via chemicals like pesticides/herbicides opting instead organic solutions ensuring thriving ecosystems benefiting both gardens/bees alike according to Blain’s Farm & Fleet recommendations: “By planting even just a few of these flowers you can create thriving ecosystem… Your garden will thank you.”